1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resin composition which provides molded articles having a low friction coefficient and excellent friction resistance characteristics. This resin composition is suitable for sliding members such as gears, bearings and roller idlers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sliding members have been recently introduced which are made of resins or plastics, among which resinous materials, such as polyacetal and polyamide, are predominant. However, since such materials exhibit certain deficiencies in that their friction resistance is high, the utility of such materials has been limited. Prior art efforts to reduce friction of plastic materials for sliding members included the addition of a lubricating component such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as well as the addition of a reinforcing component such as carbon fiber, potassium titanate whisker and talc (Japanese Patent Publication 5-48789 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open (JP-A) 4-178497). Such materials, however, have not shown a satisfactory performance required for applications under sever conditions.
Addition of polyethylene, modified with an elastomer component such as an acrylate and maleic anhydride, was also proposed for improving impact resistance of a PPS compound that contains an inorganic filler (JP-A 5-202245). However, the use of an elastomer in combination with polyethylene increases the friction coefficient; hence, such modified polyethylene is not suitable for sliding members.